As I Gaze Upon The Sea!
by remuslives23
Summary: Summary: "As I gaze upon the sea! All the old romantic legends, all my dreams, come back to me." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Set after DW: 'Journey's End'.


**Title:** As I Gaze Upon The Sea!  
**Author:** **remuslives23**  
**Rating:** PG  
**Pairing/Characters:** Ianto/Jack  
**Word Count:** 841  
**Summary:** "As I gaze upon the sea! All the old romantic legends, all my dreams, come back to me." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow  
**Contains:** Flangst.  
**Notes:** Set just after the events in 'Journey's End'. **lover100** prompt: slick.  
**Episode References:** DW: 'Stolen Earth', 'Journey's End'  
**Disclaimer:** This fiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by Russell T Davies, the BBC, and affiliates. No money is being made and no offense is intended. Characters are of legal age for sexual situations.

* * *

Ianto leaned on the rail and stared out over the rippling surface of the Bay, watching two seagulls swooping low over the blue-grey water. The sounds of their indignant argument was loud over the gentle patter of rain on water, the high pitched squawking softening a little by the time it reached Ianto's ears. He sighed and rolled his shoulders. His back was bruised and aching from being tossed around like a rag doll all day, and the continual bending to pick up all those damn spent bullets that had scattered when Tosh's time lock vanished hadn't helped. Getting caught in a shower of rain that had quickly slicked his skin and made his hair curl had topped off what had been an all round shitty day.

And Jack still wasn't back.

He didn't check his watch, he didn't need to. It had been hours since Jack had called on Martha's phone to let Ianto and Gwen know he'd left the TARDIS. More than enough time for him to get back to Cardiff, and yet...

Nope. Not going there.

Ianto breathed in deeply then exhaled. He straightened, water dripping under his collar and running down his back in cool, ticklish rivulets as he stretched his tightening muscles. He should go in and finish cleaning up. He still had to incinerate the Dalek husk, check the lower levels for structural damage, feed the guests, coerce Mainframe into coming out of hiding and reboot...

'Hey.'

He spun around, heart pounding and breath quickening at the sound of Jack's voice, body unclenching at the sight of that bright grin that didn't quite hide the conflict in Jack's eyes. It hadn't been easy for him to walk away from the promise of adventure and the TARDIS and his Rose and the Doctor; Ianto could see the lingering regret of 'what if' battling with his relief at seeing Ianto and Torchwood still standing. He fought the urge to throw himself at Jack's broad chest, to bury his face in the spicy-scented skin at the crook of his neck and sob out his relief that, again, he had _lived_, that he got to have Jack for just a little longer because, despite the pull of bigger and better, Jack had come back to him, to Gwen, to Torchwood.

'Sir,' he said instead, his face impassive apart from his right eyebrow which twitched in a private morse code - _You kept your promise. Thank you_.

The corner of Jack's mouth twitched in response - _Of course I did. I'm glad you waited_ - and his eyes drifted towards the battered Tourist Office, the old timber and Earth-made brick no match for the might of a Dalek attack. Jack frowned and his eyes snapped back to Ianto.

'Dalek?' he asked, an edge of panic in his voice.

'Yep,' Ianto said nonchalantly, fisting his hands in his pockets to hide the tremor that was suddenly rattling his bones. 'We're fine. Gwen is awesome with the machine gun. It was pretty hot, actually. I hope there's CCTV. You can add it to your collec...'

'You knew it was coming and you let me go.'

Ianto closed his eyes for a moment then looked at Jack's face, seeing his fury at himself, at Ianto, at Gwen, simmering beneath the surface. 'Would you have stayed if you'd known?' he asked evenly before turning back to the Bay, not bothering to wait for the predictable answer or to see the guilty acknowledgment flicker across Jack's face. 'You had to go, Jack. You'll always have to go.'

He felt the anger drain out of Jack. He was right and they both knew it. Ianto was surprised that he wasn't even a little resentful. He was sure he'd be entitled to be a little pissed off; after all, his... Jack... had left him without so much as a goodbye snog to scurry off after an ex while he and Gwen fought off a Dalek with the equivalent of a slingshot. Granted, there was that whole 'saving the earth' thing going on, but still...

But there was nothing. Nothing but gratitude that Jack had chosen to come back. Again.

An arm pressed against his own and he glanced over at Jack. There were new lines etched into his forehead and around his eyes. His skin was grey under the perpetual tan, and there was deep exhaustion shadowing the angles of his face.

'You died,' Ianto said softly, fingers closing tight around the balustrade so he couldn't reach out and smooth those creases, to give the comfort he wasn't quite ready to give because there was work to do and Torchwood-Cardiff-Earth came first.

But Jack turned to him and brushed his knuckles over Ianto's damp, cold cheek. A shiver juddered down Ianto's spine.

'You didn't,' Jack whispered then Ianto was in his arms, breathing shallow, rasping breaths into Jack's neck, his eyes hot and stinging as Jack cupped his head and murmured reassurance into his ear.

'I'll always have to go, Ianto, but I'll always come back.'

fin.


End file.
